Although topical acne cream products are the more high profile treatments today, oral treatments have long been used for acne therapy. But, through the years, many acne patients have suffered side effects from their use.

Most of these oral medications are antibiotics that, with prolonged use, lose their effectiveness since patients develop acne bacteria that grow resistant to the antibiotic being used to fight it.

That is why doctors prescribe oral antibiotics no longer than six months. But since this could pose a problem for a long-term acne sufferer, oral treatment is sometimes prescribed in conjunction with topical acne treatment cream.

Oral Treatment Side Effects

Three of the most popular oral acne treatments and their side effects are:

· Erythromycin -- This often causes gastrointestinal irritation.

· Oral contraceptives -- These should not be taken by women who smoke, are over age 35, have any kind of blood-clotting disorder, or are prone to migraine headaches, unless with the consent of a gynecologist.

· Tetracycline -- This should not be taken by pregnant or breastfeeding women since it can adversely affect the child's teeth and bones, and lead to skeletal defects.

What Makes Topical Cream Different?

A growing number of patients who have grown weary of the side effects and dangers associated with oral treatment, however, have opted to stick to topical medication, particularly acne creams.

Acne cream products have relatively less harsh side effects than oral medicine. Also, most acne treatment cream products can be used for longer periods than oral acne treatments.

Acne cream is easily spread on and absorbed by the skin, and does not leave the greasy feeling an ointment does, nor does it cause the flaking that results from some kinds of gel.

A Breakthrough New Type of Acne Cream Hits the Market

Some of the newest and best acne cream products contain a vitamin B derivative called niacinamide, which was discovered to be excellent for the treatment of acne by the State University of New York College of Medicine.

Through tests done across eight weeks on 76 acne patients, topical 4% niacinamide was found to cause improvement in 82% of those treated with it, while only 68% of those treated with clindamycin (an antibiotic...and the leading prescription acne treatment) reported improvement.

Acnessential (a topical 4% Niacinamide cream) contains NO ANTIBIOTICS and is safe to use even for extended periods of time. Moreover, since its active ingredient is simply Vitamin B3 (niacin) it will not usually cause the irritation, drying, and itching that other acne creams often do.

The great thing about Acnessential is that it can be used in conjunction with other acne treatments. For example, subjecting a post-treatment scar to azelaic acid acne cream, lesions, or wounds may form on severely irritated skin already made tender by recent treatment.

Acnessential soothes the skin by reducing redness and inflammation, even as it continues to counteract the tendency to acne. Moreover, its active ingredient, niacinamide, is known for improving circulation and can therefore help speed up the healing process of skin scarred by a bout with acne.